NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly on Atlanta as a sports market

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly appeared in an interview on The Illegal Curve Hockey Show Saturday morning. This quote caught the ear of Illegal Curve.

When asked on today’s show about the market potential of the city of Atlanta:

“I would acknowledge that Atlanta historically has been a difficult sports market, and I can’t exactly put my finger on it as to why that’s been the case. You make good points when you point to the fact that the Atlanta Braves make the playoffs 13 consecutive years in baseball, where it is a little more difficult to make the playoffs. And they are having difficulty selling out their home playoff games, which, you would think in most markets is unheard of. So, Atlanta has proven to be a very difficult market.”

“Again, it might be a situation where the building location isn’t ideal in that market, and if it was built in a different location within the Atlanta Metropolitan location, it might be drawing better. But those are all issues that are important issues, obviously the building is not moving. We’re going to have to look at the long term prospects of that franchise, and if the determination is made that it can’t make it there, and can’t be successful there, then something will have to be done.”

Other topics covered in the interview: The Phoenix Coyotes ownership situation, the viability of an NHL franchise in Winnipeg, suspensions for headshots, CBA discussions & the NHL’s future in the Winter Olympics

One thing you have to give Atlanta is inability of management to give the fans something to support. A decade of futility with only 1 playoff appearance. While I don’t support the notion that fans need a good team to support, the Thrasher faithful (along with those in Columbus) might be awarded sainthood for putting up with the team’s on the ice that they’ve had over last 10 years.